Rural and urban Alliance calls on State Government to ban new fossil fuel projects

Posted by Phil Evans1387.80sc on February 20, 2014

An alliance of 59 groups has called on the Victorian government to ban all new on-shore coal and un-conventional gas operations until there has been a thorough investigation into the likely impacts of this industry.

May 2013 update

Moorabool Council has also joined the call for a moratorium on new coal and gas.

February 2013

We now have 78 organisations and businesses signed up to the call for a moratorium. Scroll down for the full list.

Rural and urban Alliance calls on State Government to ban new fossil fuel projects

Victorian government wants more coal – the community wants farmland and clean water

As Victoria faces a wave of exploration licences for coal seam gas (CSG), coal, and tight gas, there is growing opposition to this industry. “Community groups have formed across the ‘coal belt’ of southern Victoria, from the Otways to Wonthaggi to Toongabbie” said Friends of the Earth campaigns co-ordinator Cam Walker. “Clearly local farmers and residents do not want to see their lands and water sacrificed for short term fossil fuel development.”

“In Queensland and New South Wales there is a massive community backlash against the CSG industry” said Merryn Redenbach, spokesperson for Quit Coal. “Elsewhere in Australia, governments and individual members of parliament are standing up against the growth of CSG exploration and new coal mining in rural and urban areas. Locally, the Bass Coast Council has called for a ban on mining and gas operations, and Liberal MP Ken Smith has supported this demand”.

Mr Walker said “the only response from the government of Ted Baillieu has been to increase opportunities for further coal development. Just this week it was reported that the Baillieu government is working on a strategy to try to head off community objections to its plans to develop Victoria’s brown coal reserves.”

An alliance of 50 groups has today called on the Victorian government to ban all new on-shore coal and un-conventional gas operations until there has been a thorough investigation into the likely impacts of this industry on:

water resources,

farmland and food security,

local communities and natural biodiversity, and

greenhouse emissions.

Sue Anderson, a dairy farmer from near Bunyip, said “the industry needs to provide guarantees for the integrity of aquifers and surface water before it is allowed to proceed. Blind Freddy could see that mining is detrimental to the production of food. In a competition between food and coal seam gas, food has to win.”

“In the specific case of our area in West Gippsland, any government that approves CSG operations where 15% of Melbourne's food is produced must be both barking mad and broke”.

Community member from Toongabbie, Tracey Anton, said “rural communities, state wide, are forming powerful alliances with environmental organisations against new mining explorations and development. Why? Because in our time of need, they are the only ones there to answer our questions. To prevent the social and economic erosion of our communities, will Government and Industry work with us or against us?"

“The government is pretending there is no problem with new fossil fuel developments in Victoria” said Mr Walker. “Recent revelations that it is considering new coal allocations shows that they are out of step with community sentiment across rural Victoria. It is time they made their position clear: will they support a call for a moratorium?”

What are people saying about a moratorium & fossil fuel impacts on rural Victoria?

ALP

The state opposition supports the call for a moratorium on new coal-seam gas exploration.

Opposition energy spokeswoman Lily D'Ambrosio said there were growing concerns about coal-seam gas projects. ''New evidence has emerged that raises questions about the safety, health and environmental impacts of coal seam gas exploration, and it's important these concerns are fully investigated".

Colac Otway shire mayor Brian Crook said in 2011 that a ban on exploration was essential until the government improved its “seriously flawed” consultation process and could assess the impact of mining.

“Until we have the process evaluated and there is a 100-per-cent guarantee there will be no impact on aquifers and the community is happy with it, coal-seam gas exploration must stop,” Cr Crook said.

He said the council called for the mining companies to abandon exploration and would push for the support of major political parties in the Colac district’s fight against coal-seam mining.

The Environment Defenders Office released a major review of the legislation that governs exploration and production of coal and coal seam gas in April 2012. They said: "Victoria’s mining laws fail to protect or respect regional communities, fails to protect key natural resources (like groundwater and prime agricultural land), and treats the environment as an afterthought.

The report calls for a raft of legislative changes, including the establishment of ‘no go’ zones closed to mining to protect sensitive areas, and a moratorium on new coal and unconventional gas projects until the laws have been fixed.

In 2011, the National Toxics Network (NTN) released a briefing paper on the chemicals used in the drilling and extraction of coal seam gas (CSG) in Australia. NTN is calling on state and federal Governments to urgently introduce a moratorium on all drilling and fracking chemicals until they have been independently assessed by the federal regulator.

PORT PHILLIP COUNCIL

On May 23, 2012, the Council agreed to write to the Victorian Government to urge them to institute a moratorium on all new coal and on-shore un-conventional gas operations until there has been a thorough investigation into the likely impacts of this industry on water resources, farmland and food security, local communities, biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions.

KEN SMITH, MP

State MP for Bass (Gippsland) and Liberal party member Ken Smith has supported the call for a ban on exploration for coal and gas within his electorate.http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2012/03/23/460155_latest-news.h... "We've got a farming community down here and the last thing that we need to have now is people exploring the countryside from the shoreline up into the hills looking to dig the place up,"

THE WEEKLY TIMES

From a Weekly Times editorial: “The risks of mining CSG are real; the benefits temporary and the profits go to mining fat-cats”.

A polluted aquifer could end food production in an agricultural region indefinitely - a contaminated aquifer is impossible to decontaminate”.

“The Victorian government needs to show it will not be pushed around by mining giants.

The VFF issued a stronger statement after we launched our call for a moratorium:

"Farmers are calling on the Vic Coalition Government to extend wind farm veto laws to cover coal seam gas projects. The VFF's Gerald Leach says landholders should have the right to veto mining on their property. He says farmers are concerned coal seam gas mining could cause long-term damage to aquifers and their land. Leach says the Vic Government has given landholders the right to veto in respect to wind towers".

ABC Gippsland (Sale), 08:30 News - 13/04/2012

YARRA COUNCIL

On June 5, 2012, City of Yarra voted to support the following motion:

“That the City of Yarra call on the Victorian Government to institute a moratorium on all new coal and on-shore un-conventional gas operations until there has been a thorough, independent investigation into the likely impacts of this industry on water resources, farmland and food security, local communities, natural biodiversity and greenhouse emissions.”